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Ionization injection and acceleration in a dephasingless laser wakefield accelerator

ORAL

Abstract

The viability of laser wakefield accelerators for use in next-generation x-ray free-electron lasers or linear colliders is limited by dephasing, diffraction, and pump depletion. Spatiotemporally structuring the laser pulse using an axiparabola and echelon can overcome these limitations by producing an intensity peak that travels at or near the vacuum speed of light in a plasma over many Rayleigh ranges [J. P. Palastro, et al., PRL, 124(13), 134802 (2020)]. Here, we present particle-in-cell simulations that show ionization injection and acceleration of a 25-pC electron beam to a maximum energy of 2.1 GeV over 20 dephasing lengths (1.3 cm) using a 6.2-J laser driver in the nonlinear bubble regime. Stable propagation is obtained by masking the inner portion of the axiparabola, accelerating the focus to compensate for the changing spot size, and offsetting the density profile to mitigate unwatned self-focusing. Scaling these results to a 500-J laser pulse could produce a 125-GeV electron beam in under 1 m.

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Publication: Planned manuscript for submission to Nature Communications

Presenters

  • Kyle G Miller

    Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester, University of Rochester, Laboratory for Laser Energetics

Authors

  • Kyle G Miller

    Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester, University of Rochester, Laboratory for Laser Energetics

  • Manfred Virgil V Ambat

    University of Rochester, Laboratory for Laser Energetics, Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester

  • Jacob R Pierce

    University of California, Los Angeles, UCLA Plasma Simulation Group, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A., UCLA Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California Los Angeles, UCLA

  • Jessica Shaw

    University of Rochester Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester

  • Kale Weichman

    Laboratory for Laser Energetics, U. of Rochester, University of Rochester, Laboratory for Laser Energetics, Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester

  • Warren Mori

    University of California, Los Angeles, University of California Los Angeles

  • Dustin H Froula

    University of Rochester, University of Rochester, Laboratory for Laser Energetics

  • John P Palastro

    University of Rochester, University of Rochester, Laboratory for Laser Energetics